Manchester City will “try to find the new Rodri” after the Spain captain left the club earlier this week to join La Liga champions Barcelona, says manager Enzo Maresca.

Rodri became one of the best midfielders in the world during his seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium, winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or award as well as four Premier League titles and scoring the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final.

The 30-year-old led his country to a World Cup triumph during the summer and has signed a four-year contract at the Nou Camp after Barca agreed to pay a fee in the region of £65m.

“How do we solve that problem?” asked Maresca. “We try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is.

“[Before] Rodri arrived here, he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, he didn’t win the Champions League, he didn’t win the Club World Cup. He joined the club then he achieved many important things.”

Rodri played nearly 300 games for City. He was in the final 12 months of his contract and although the Premier League side offered him an extension, talks did not yield a result.

Maresca added: “I was thinking on Thursday night, when David Silva was here, everyone was worried and Kevin [De Bruyne] arrived. When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried [when he was going to leave] and Erling [Haaland] arrived. Fernandinho? Rodri arrived.

“When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one. They are all similar, David, Kevin, Fernandinho, Rodri, Erling – there is one more – it is normal, it is change, it is not a problem, go again and try to do the right things.”

What business could City do?

City look like they will be busy in the remaining days of the transfer window with both incomings and outgoings likely.

They have already signed England international midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club record £115m fee.

The club remain in advanced talks to sign Lille’s Moroccan star Ayyoub Bouaddi. BBC Sport has been told they have also not given up hope of signing Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, while there is also interest in Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have agreed a £75m fee to sign Brazilian winger Savinho and are also in talks to acquire City team-mate Omar Marmoush.

Asked if he is calm about the club’s transfer business, Maresca said: “I think it’s a feeling for most of the clubs, not all of the clubs because some clubs probably prefer to do the business at the beginning or at the end of the previous season.

“I think we are almost in the same situation as all of the clubs. There are 10 days to go, hopefully we can do the things that we need to do.

“It doesn’t help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, that is for sure, but we need to adapt and also we don’t want to keep players here who don’t want to stay, for sure.

“Probably the normal thing in the transfer window is that you have to wait until the last week, because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money. It’s normal.” (BBC)

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